Daniel Inouye: “technological innovation is the lifeblood of U.S. economic growth and well-being. To achieve growth and success, the…”

“technological innovation is the lifeblood of U.S. economic growth and well-being. To achieve growth and success, the United States must continue to support the two critical components necessary during the early stages of the innovation ecosystem: education and basic research. A pipeline of well-educated secondary school students feeds into the college ranks, which in turn feeds into the graduate schools. Graduate students engage in challenging and cutting edge research led by principal investigators that often are funded by Federal grants. Many times the students and scientists will make a breakthrough discovery of innovation and attempt to commercialize it. If successful, they will have created the next great generation, great American company that sells the next great product, employing thousands of people and driving this economy's economic growth further. The United States has the luxury of claiming many of the world's top scientific minds. These leading scientists either emigrate to the United States because we provide some of the best facilities and resources or they are home grown, having excelled through the U.S. educational system to reach the top echelons of their respective disciplines. However, this premier standing we have enjoyed in the past is in serious jeopardy. As a result, many believe our economic prosperity is at risk.”